Sunday, 18 December 2011

Killings in 3 districts follow fresh Indian assurance of no-firing at border talks

Star Report

Though the Indian authorities had repeatedly assured Bangladesh of showing restraint and stopping border killings, its border guards killed four Bangladeshis in the last two days in the border areas of Dinajpur, Kurigram and Meherpur districts.

The killings took place on the heels of a four-day deputy director general-level conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and India's Border Security Force (BSF) in Shillong, which ended on Thursday.

The victims are Motiar Rahman, 20, of Dakkhin Daudpur village, and Tajul Islam, 26, of Rongaon village in Birampur upazila of Dinajpur, Alamgir Hossain, 25, of Krishna Nanda village in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram and Naharul Islam, 40, of Meherpur Sadar upazila.

The BSF troops at Gobindapur camp opened fire on several Bangladeshi cattle traders at Daudpur of Katla union in Birampur upazila around 4:00am yesterday, reports our Dinajpur correspondent.

Motiar and Tajul died on the spot while the others managed to flee unhurt.

The Indian soldiers fired four shots during the incident that took place around 170 metres from the zero line on the Indian side of the border, he added.

At a flag meeting between the two border forces in Daudpur area yesterday afternoon, Bangladesh protested the killings and demanded return of the bodies.

The Indian side assured Bangladesh of returning the bodies and stopping recurrence of such incidents.

The Kurigram victim came under BSF attack in Camperchhara area near the zero line at Gorakmondal border in Phulbari upazila.

The BSF men at Narayanganj BOP (border observation post) camp of Cooch Behar district fired shots at Alamgir when he went there around 6:30am yesterday to respond to nature's call, reports our Kurigram correspondent quoting Subedar Emran, Shimulbari company commander of BGB.

Alamgir suffered severe injuries but managed to return home near the Gorakmondal border.

He succumbed to his wounds when his relatives had been rushing him to Phulbari Upazila Health Complex, said Mobassher Ali, chairman of Naodanga Union Parishad.

Rajesh Sohan, commandant of BSF 46 Battalion, claimed that Indian border troops acted in self-defence as about a dozen Bangladeshis attacked them.

Our Kushtia correspondent adds: BSF troops at Bazrapur camp in Nadia district picked up Naharul and killed him when he went near Shewratala frontier of Gangni upazila in Meherpur around 7:30pm on Friday.

At a flag meeting yesterday afternoon, BSF promised to return the body by today.

Meanwhile, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram during his visit to Dhaka in July said New Delhi had ordered BSF not to shoot anyone crossing Indo-Bangladesh border, no matter whatever the circumstances were.

“Let me make it very clear….We have issued strict instructions to our border security forces that under no circumstances should they open fire on anyone trying to cross from either Bangladesh to India or India to Bangladesh. The message has gone down to the last jawan,” he said at a joint press conference with his Bangladesh counterpart Shahara Khatun.

At a home secretary-level meeting in Dhaka in January, the issue was raised to draw New Delhi's urgent attention to this matter.

“On behalf of the government of India and myself, I deeply regret the deaths of Bangladeshi nationals,” GK Pillai, Indian home secretary, told a joint press briefing.

“Our efforts would be to take all necessary steps so that no death takes place on Indo-Bangla borders and this is our commitment to you,” he insisted.

The Bangladesh-India joint statement, made during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka tour in September, also expressed confidence that the Coordinated Border Management Plan would enhance cooperation between the border guards of the two neighbours and stop “loss of lives in the border areas.”

Following repeated pleas from Dhaka, New Delhi agreed in March to equip the BSF troops with non-lethal weapons to stop killing of unarmed Bangladeshis.

“The BSF jawans will carry non-lethal arms in addition to the regular ones,” BSF Director General Raman Srivastava announced on March 12.

The Daily Star could not reach Home Minister Shahara Khatun over the phone yesterday for her comments.

Contacted, Home Secretary Monzur Hossain only said, “The BGB chief has informed me about the killings.”

Asked about Indian promises, a senior home ministry official said,“Bangladesh has been pressing India to stop firing at the borders. Dhaka has raised the issue at almost every bilateral meeting and the Indian side has assured us of taking steps in this regard. But nothing really happens in practice as the killing continues.”

Saturday, 17 December 2011

Despite repeated assurance by Indian authorities of restraint on border, the country’s border force, BSF, killed four Bangladeshi citizens in the bordering areas of Kurigram, Dinajpur and Meherpur since Friday evening.

Two cattle traders were killed in Dinajpur, one in Meherpur while a local in Kurigram.

Our Dinajpur correspondent reported that the BSF troops from Gobindapur camp No. 96 killed two Bangladeshi cattle traders when nearly five to six people went to Daudpur frontier area in Katla union of Birampur upazila to bring cows from Indian side around 4:00am Saturday.

Motiar Rahman, 20, son of one Siddiq Hossain of Dakkhin Daudpur village of the upazila and Tajul Islam, 26, son of one Asir Uddin of Rongaon village died on the spot.

The other cattle traders however managed to flee unhurt.

The BSF men later took away the bodies, Tareq Iftekhar Ahmed, acting commander of Phulbari camp of the BGB 40 Rifles Battalion, told The Daily Star.

The BGB official said the Indian border troops fired four shots during the incident which took place in 170 meters inside the Indian side from the zero line.

At a flag meeting in Daudpur area in the afternoon, Bangladesh side protested the killings and demand return of the bodies. The Indian side assured of returning the bodies and stopping recurrence of such killings.

The Kurigram victim came under BSF attack when he went to Camperchhara area, a zero line area adjacent to Gorakmondal bordering vicinity of Phulbari upazila, around 6:30am to respond to the call of nature.

The BSF troops from Narayanganj BOP (border out post) Camp No. 46 of Koch Bihar district opened fire on Alamgir Hossain, 25, son of one Ismail Hossain of Krishna Nanda village of Phulbari, our Kurigram correspondent quoted Subedar Emran, Shimulbari company commander of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) as saying.

Alamgir sustained severe injuries but managed to return home near the Gorakmondal frontier line.

While his relatives were rushing him to Phulbari Upazila Health Complex, Alamgir succumbed to his injuries on the way, said Mobassher Ali, chairman of Naodanga union parishad.

Police took his body to Kurigram Sadar Hosptial morgue for autopsy.

Aziz Mojnu, one of his neighbours, said Alamgir used to sneak into Indian side and bring cattle in for local cattle traders.

During the meeting Krishana Nanda bordering area, Ziaul Haque Khaled, the commanding officer of BGB's Battalion No. 45 who led the BGB side, strongly protested the shooting in the zero line of the frontier.

Rajesh Sohan, the commandant officer of BSF Battalion No. 46, alleged that the Indian border troops were forced to open fire in self-defence as nearly 12 Bangladeshi citizens attacked them.

Our Kushtia correspondent added: BSF troops from Bazrapur camp in Nadia district picked up Naharul Islam, 40, of Meherpur Sadar upazila and killed him when he went near Shewratala frontier area of Gangni upazila around 7:30pm Friday.

Rezaul Karim, camp commander of BGB Rifles Battalion 35, neither could confirm why Naharul went in the frontier area nor how he was killed.

The BSF troops might have been strangled Naharul to death, he speculated.

A flag meeting might be held later in the day.

On July 30, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said in Dhaka that India had ordered BSF not to shoot anyone crossing Indo-Bangla border no matter what the circumstances are.

“Let me make it very clear…we have issued strict instructions to our border security forces that under no circumstances should they fire upon anyone trying to cross from either Bangladesh to India or India to Bangladesh. The message has gone down to the last jawan,” he said at a joint press conference with his Bangladesh counterpart Shahara Khatun.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

The deceased is Tarikul Islam, 23, son of Hamzer Ali of Panchvulote village in Sharsha upazila.

Afzal Hossain, commander of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Putkhali camp, said the BSF troops at Indian Bornobaria camp caught Tarikul, when he, along with other cattle traders, was returning from India around 5:00am.

The Indian border guards beat up Tarikul mercilessly, leaving him dead on the spot.